The Future of Anesthesiology Education, Part 2

The Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) Board of Directors is pleased to announce award recipients from the February 2003 submissions. We appreciate the work done by the applicants and review committee, and we thank our sponsors for their generous contributions that allow the funding of these awards. The descriptions of the projects were provided by the investigators.

Research Training Grants ($175,000 for two years)

Li-Ming Zhang, M.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: “Chemical Biology of S-Nitrosoalbumin in Live Pulmonary Endothelial Cells.” Mentor: Bruce R. Pitt, Ph.D.

TNitric oxide (NO) is a well known regulator of vascular homeostasis. S-Nitrosoalbumin (SNO-Alb) is the most abundant physiologically stable circulating NO carrier in human plasma and also exerts vasodilatory and antiaggregatory properties in vitro and in vivo. Recent studies have showed that SNO-Alb produced a protective effect against ischemia/reperfusion-induced microvascular constriction and edema formation. In contrast to native albumin, the disposition of SNO-Alb in pulmonary endothelium remains unclear.

In the current application, we will characterize the biological effects of SNO-Alb within live, intact rat pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells via contemporary imaging approaches by detecting (via real-time confocal microscopy) its effect on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) reporters of NO (cygnet-2, a reporter of soluble guanylyl cyclase or FRET-metallothionein, a reporter of S-nitrosation). Insight into the disposition of SNO-Alb in pulmonary endothelial cells should provide new mechanistic information on pulmonary vasomotor function and regulation of water and solute exchange in health and disease.

Srinivasan G. Varadarajan, M.B., Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: “Anesthetic Preconditioning — Novel Role of Cardiac Mitochondrial Ca2+ Activated K+ Channels.” Mentor: David F. Stowe, M.D., Ph.D.

 

Myocardial ischemia is a common human malady. Many approaches have been tried to reduce its deleterious effects. Certain pharmaceutical agents and volatile anesthetics, when administered ahead, can protect (precondition) against ischemia reperfusion injury. Volatile anesthetics are commonly used in anesthetic practice for cardiac and other surgeries. Activation of various ion channels have been shown to be important in the preconditioning pathways and the mitochondrial calcium activated potassium (mBKCa) channel and mitochondrial ATP sensitive potassium (mKATP) channel are significant among them.

Using an isolated guinea pig heart model, this project will explore the mechanism of the protective role of mBKCa channel and mKATP activation against ischemic injury and also ascertain if preconditioning by sevoflurane, a volatile anesthetic, involves activation of these channels and if it could be enhanced. This study will expand our understanding of the phenomenon of cardiac protection against ischemic injury and could lead to new prophylactic therapeutic options.

[More award recipients will be featured in the next “FAER Report.”]